Various techniques for the diffusion of scents are known. The most current one uses materials drenched with fragrant molecules that are freed into the atmosphere by natural convection. This technique is largely used to perfume the passenger spaces of automobiles, for example. A better efficacy of the convection can be obtained by forcing the circulation of a flow of air making contact with the drenched material. In this instance, the flow of air is generally created by an electric turbine. Another current technique consists of burning a perfumed candle or a material such as incense. The strong heat produced by the combustion accelerates freeing the fragrant molecules. Finally, scent devices use the technique of micronization of an olfactory liquid that consists of diffusing the latter into fine droplets that vaporize rapidly, freeing the fragrant molecules. This technique is the one generally used to perfume large spaces such as train station concourses, for example.
Whatever the technique used by the scent diffusion device, it is always appropriate to re-drench or replace a material drenched with fragrant molecules when it has dried out, or to refill or replace a bottle containing a fragrant liquid when it has become empty.
Certain scent diffusers are driven by an electronic device. EP 01212104B1 describes a device for the diffusion of perfume based on a flow of air making contact with a drenched material, which device is driven by a digital television station or by a microcomputer. EP 01054697B1 discloses a device permitting the diffusion of several perfumes with the particularity of avoiding a persistence during a change of scent by virtue of a capacity of hermetic obturation of the perfume reservoirs that are not to be diffused. It describes a reservoir with a totally spherical form that is turned a quarter turn to place or not place the fragrant material in a flow of air.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,148 teaches a device for the diffusion of scents having an air circulation corridor in the middle of which a barrel has a scent support. The air circulating in the corridor traverses the support, taking the fragrant molecules along with it.
The disadvantage of the solutions in which the scent supports are arranged on cylindrical, barrel-type supports resides in the fact that the passage from one scent to another is laborious and time-consuming, especially if the two supports are opposed in the barrel. This sometimes requires several seconds.
Also, FR 2 815 294 teaches a device for heating/air conditioning automobiles comprising elements of olfactory diffusion. An envelope comprising passages of air is arranged in the path of the air, inside of which a support slides to position an aromatic agent facing the passages. This solution is limited to a limited number of scents to be operational. Moreover, the solution has significant charge losses on account of the eccentric position of the envelope relative to the path of the air flow.
The following are also known: cartridges of liquid perfume activated by a device with arms in order to permit it to be opened, and the evaporation of molecules (US 2002/0158351) of the scent cartridges constituted by a material that is porous or similar to a sponge for imprisoning the fragrant molecules (U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,148), cartridges inserted in an opening made on a scent diffusion device, which cartridges are constituted by gel or drenched with sweet-smelling substances (DE 100 44 894), and cylindrical cartridges constituted by a rigid structure with cylinder quarters suitable for receiving olfactory substances (U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,327).
The prior art does not provide electrically driven multi-scent devices to be conceived that are simultaneously simple in design, modular and readily rechargeable. It could therefore be advantageous to provide multi-scent devices that require only a single electric turbine whatever the number of scents to be diffused, and that present a single diffuser orifice.